How I price my work__season of rough turning 

Don't fret over 'long videos' because they are VERY informative!

I think your explanation of fair pricing to your customer base is spot on. I've watched some of those pricing formula videos and even though it may be useful as a starting point, the customer base is different all over. If you're trying to be that local craftsman then you have to price it that way. We should all ask ourselves, "what would I pay for it?", and be honest. Again, another great video showing technique and your personal side.

Tomi, please don't try and make videos shorter. Every minute is valuable information. I learnt a lot from this one, mainly what I do in 1 day, you can do in 2 hours! "Price for your market" is extremely valid and I will be giving that more thought. Thanks again.

I really appreciate your fine additude and honesty with your work. God Bless

This kind of useful information doesn't appear often in woodturning videos. Thank you.

Tomislav, I'm new to wood turning and am learning a lot from your videos. I appreciate your attention to detail...thanks so much for what you're doing.

Don't be sorry for the length of this video. On the contrary, thank you so much for your time and honesty on this part of the craft. Most of the wood turning showoff account around RU-vid are just staged, showing only the "sexy" side. You take us in your reality as a production wood turner and it is an honour. I totally understand the huge importance of local reality market. Here in Mexico, to get good wood for turning and get people to find interest in one's object is equally difficult. No market as such for that kind of craft. But prices for similar items (let say ceramic ) are more expensive than in Europe. So it is hard to find a middle ground. But for me it is not my main income source so I can manage to struggle a little...anyway, thank you for everything you are sharing, it is priceless and I just hope all your positive and kind energy spread around you is and will come back to you for as long as you may need. Cheers dear Tomislav.

Excellent video as usual. Your pricing strategy makes complete sense .

Tomislav, Thanks for another inspiring video. I’m just a hobbyist turner and to produce the amount of articles you did in 3 hours would take me weeks or months. The quality of you work is outstanding. The two little bowls I got from you that you said were made from firewood were exquisite. The workmanship was outstanding. When I took them to my Woodturning club meeting and showed them, everybody admired the quality of turning and finishing of the pieces. As for yourEnglish, it is better than a lot of the people in my area and infinitely better than my ability in Croatian. Thanks for the videos, please keep them coming. Cheers, Tom

Thank you for sharing your skills and experiences! You and making me and my friends better and safer turners!

Really informative video Tomislav i appreciate you taking the time to make and share your knowledge and life experiences. I really like watching you turn wood. You make it look natural. Thanks again and hope you have a great and blessed day!

This is a credibly helpful video - thank you. And my God what an amazing turner you are!!!!

Excellent explanations, the most important for any artist or handcraft man, to be happy with your work and enjoy it, cheers from Luxembourg 🇱🇺 europe

Tomislov I really appreciate your common sense approach to not only your turning but also pricing the end result. I appreciate the time you spend with your explanations and never watch a video that I don’t take away knowledge 🤠🇨🇱

We’ll your ending is provoking me to give another comment, and I’m in the same boat as you. I devoted 40 years in carpentry before I ever tried the lathe, and I am hooked, I love everything about it . When I go to craft shows I sell a lot of my stuff and other vendors tell me to raise my price, and I tell them that this things just pour out of me and my house is now packed with dishes and bowls, I have to get rid of them or they go into the fire place, I will keep watching your videos and keeping my subscription, your a brother from another 😂

thanks again ,i have given away 3to 4 hundred bowls just to get my name out, i make a few thousand a year but it is not my total income . i do it as a hobby but i don"t mind making some money , I appretiate all your effort to educate all of us!!! I live on about 100 acres of woods in central NY state ,USA ,I do not pay for wood. if I knew how I would send you some different pieces ,Bryan McCabe,A,K.A ,Woodbutcher!!

Tomislav, Great video!! Amazed by how fast you are in processing your logs. Your English is very understandable. Thanks for passing on your wealth of knowledge of turning.

Having a distinctive style can also improve sales. One friend added a stenciled pattern that could quickly be applied, in different colors, and increased the sale price substantially. Each time she sells at a market,her product sells out on the first day of a two day sale.😮 Adding an “art” factor can make a big difference.

Very informative, and those will be some very nice bowls and platters. Thanks for another educational and interesting video.

Hi, you may think that this video is long, but for the interested people in your teaching, we try to absord all your truly pertinent info. You give us details that very few others don't. Even if this video would have been 30 more minutes it would not be wasted time, at least not for me. Please continue your good work !!

I couldn't agree more with you about pircing. I'm a professionnal woodturner in France ; and lots of time people are surprised of "low" prices. But I was raised in a family with quite low incomes, and I really want my work to be affordable. I have some pieces going up to 300€, but most of my stuff is between 15 and 30 ; I move across the country for my sales and depending on the area customers will go mainly for either side of the spectrum. Near big cities mainly the expensive stuffs, and in remote areas the cheaper ones. Being aware of where you're selling is gold, and adjusting your production to your market is also key. You also have to consider whet is a reasonable income for you : once you dial in the price of rent, electricity, VAT and other taxes... how much does really go in your pocket, and how much do you need to sustain your lifestyle ? If you really want to go on with woodturning and you feel you don't earn enough, ask yourself if you prefer to lower your lifestyle and be happy with your work, or if it's more advisable to take a job and keep turning as a hobby or part time income...

Thanks Tomislav For another very interesting and informative video. Pricing is very practically described by you .

As a live edge Turner I cut a lot of my blanks as you just a little hint use a ripping chain on your chainsaw and you won't get the clogging up!👍 From Happy Wood turning Ducklake Maine USA !

Fantastic Video! Was absolutely the perfect length to pass on the valuable information you were sharing. Love your videos and have been reinspiried in my hobby wood turning by your videos. I am soon to retire and am contemplating trying to make my hobby at least pay for itself. Very valuable information and insights. Thank You!!!

No need to apologize for the length of the video and your English is always perfectly understandable; you may struggle for the right words sometimes but that is perfectly understandable when this is not your primary language. Your comments make total sense, one needs to set prices to the market you are in while still being able to make a living at it if this is what you are doing for income. It's really enjoyable to see how you and Richard process raw timber to blanks and the thought processes applied -- I find that very helpful in looking at raw stock. I hope RU-vid is providing a bit of additional income to you as your videos are extremely helpful and instructive. If you ever decide to do the "Buy me a coffee" thing on YT, I'm all in -- your videos have been extremely helpful in refining my turning techniques and identifying the root cause of problems in areas where I am having issues.

the people who say you sell your work too cheaply are the same people who complain that no-one buys their work because it's too expensive!

Thank you Thank you Thank you,for an unique informative sensible and quality video. I was learning every minute of every frame.

Hi Tomislav, excellent video again. Apologies for watching it so long after you made it. Love your pricing philosophy, totally agree, what will it sell for in my area? I'm in the north of Britain, not London, if I was I'd double my prices !I have to admit I vary my prices depending on where I'm selling, craft markets mostly but I also sell in galleries. I can make a piece that I think is worth £60 and it will sell at that at a craft market. The same piece I'll put in a gallery and it will sell for £100, gallery takes 40% I get my £60. Funny old world! I could talk with you all day about pricing! One thing I totally agree with you on, no compromise on quality, if it's going for sale from my workshop it has my name on it and I don't want a bad reputation. Moving on from this video hope all's going well in the new workshop. Looking forward to your review on the Harvey lathe once you've had it for a while. Cheers for now, Martin.

Hi Tomislav, The length of the video in my opinion is irrelevant, you’ve covered so much informative information from getting a log to planning the cuts, doing the cuts and processing the turnings and to top it off how to price the finished pieces. Thank you, thank you, this is a must watch video for beginners/newbies. As always your explanations are clear and to the point no fluff no BS your English is very, very good! Thanks again for taking the time with sharing your knowledge. Take care, Wayne

Another EXCELLENT video - definitely not "too much talking". There was something to be learned in every sentence. Your story of "know your customer base" seems like it is the REAL way to price your work. Again, thank you!

Thank you, this information was very helpful. And as an English Man your english is very good.

Thanks Tomaslav. I remember reading the comment about your faulty math. Saying essentiallly you don't make enough money pricing your work as you do. The person said he had to go out of the woodturning business. I'm guessing he priced his products too high. You've been doing this for a while, providing for your family. I like your price system!

Some day a bowl turned by Tomislav Tomasic will be more valuable than these prices. If I were closer I’d buy your artistic creations in a heartbeat. You are a fantastic craftsman and more importantly, a good and decent human being. Do I see a Tomislav Tomasic School of Woodturning in the future? You have a very real gift of teaching.

You are a very open and easy man to listen to, you do really nice work. I am surprised that you have to buy basic logs for turning as I have been turning, pleasure only, for about 12 years and have made many bowls, large and small. Every bowl that I have made has been free wood, from Ash, Maple, Black Walnut and many other native species here in Canada. I have found over the years that you only have to ask and companies cutting down the tree are happy to oblige. Do you not have that opportunity in your area. All my work is air dried for about 2 years in my shed although I do not have a lot of success with Cherry or Apple. I look forward to more of your interesting work and videos.

Excellent video, I agree with everything you said. I expected customers to buy my sets of 3 (woodcut) nested bowls, but no, they all ended up being sold individually. I'm English & your command of the language is way better than many people in the UK & certainly USA. Great work, thank you.

Tomislav great video thanks for sharing 👍

I have had my lathe For one year, so I am still very much a newbie. i'm always looking and listening for good advice and watching for techniques. I just found your video and watched it and I enjoyed all the information that you were able to give and I greatly appreciate it. From what I can see in this video your work looks like it's very nice. So I will be looking for your videos to see more of your work. Thank you for taking the time to share with us.

I really enjoyed this video. I live in a part of the US that is similar population and cash flow. I have never been a full time turner and rarely sold my work. I turn mostly for the joy of turning. I taugh5 beginners for many years because I didn't want beginners to go through the frustrations that I did. All of that was before the internet was available. You are certainly taking much of the frustration away for novice and even experienced turners away! I wish you well and if you ever visit the US, I'd like to meet you in person.

Thank you for the in depth explanation of the way you cut and value your work

Tomislav, great video, mate, hugely informative for me. I really like my Mcnauton coring tools because they are simple and affordable. With regard to pricing our products, they are only worth what someone is prepared to pay. I can't see a formula for pricing being of any meaningful use at all. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing with us humble hobbyists! Cheers, mate.

Always great videos,greets from Germany brother

I am a hobby turner so I only sell at the local church fair a couple of times a year sso I dont sell at a high price. I just keep the best pieces for myself close friends or family. I also need to make space. Thanks for the info and I agree with your advise.

You are a fantastic instructor, you explain everything so well! Thank you.

No need to apologize Tomislav. Your knowledge is greatly appreciated. I like that you break down and explain your process in order to be successful. You inspire me to go out to my shop and try doing what you do and I enjoy it very much. Keep up your videos as you do teach what can be done. Thanks again and have a great day.

This information is solid gold, I wish I had access to this level of honest talk about time and pricing 30 years ago. It looks like you're finding a good audience here, and I'm glad for you. Keep these great videos coming!

Thank you for this video. Very good information and a reasonable approach to pricing.

Thank you so much for all of the great information. I always learn so much from you. And, your English is very clear and easy to understand. I really appreciate all of the planning and hard work you put into these videos. You are helping all of us be better turners. THANK YOU!

This was a great video Tomislav. I enjoyed learning how someone in another country conducts business. I sell my work, but it is a hobby. I make enough to cover my cost of tools and supplies. I am blown away at how fast you can turn. It's a pleasure to watch someone with your skill set.

Thanks again for your time and sharing great knowledge.

Tomislav, that was a great demonstration of log processing. Thank you! Regarding pricing, understanding your local market is so very important and I appreciate hearing your insights.

На рынке 2 чудака - продавец и покупатель. Один хочет максимум, другой минимум. Вся трудность прийти к компромиссу. Удачи в продажах! Я пенсионер и поэтому деньги от более 25 своих изделий с последней выставки перевел в благотворительный фонд помощи детям.

One thing you didn't mention is the fact of which side of the blank you choose for the top or bottom of the bowl. If you turn it with the pith at the bottom of the bowl it will have a different grain pattern. And one that i like much better but if you have a small blank it is feasible to do it that way. Just my thoughts. Great instructions thank you for sharing.

ha Tomislav your English is a lot better than my Croatian ! SUPER VID

First, thanks for your videos. They are very informative and educational. Second, when you describe the time spent, you don't mention how long it will take to finish the pieces when dry. I imagine it would take at least as long as the rough out. I know for myself, I take 2 or 3 or 4 times longer to finish than to rough turn. But I am not a professional turner, just a retired. hobbyist. I have a lot of pieces in boxes and am considering going to a farmers market this summer to sell some of the several hundred pieces that I've accumulated on top of having given away well over 100 pieces to friends and family

Thanks for your insights in regards to marketing - very helpful! You are very efficient in your turning - no wasted motions!!

Your English is easier to understand than a couple of my uncles' accents and mumblings ;) One I think I understood 2 things he said of every time he talked to me, so it is fine. Always great for a professional to demonstrate how they maximize productivity and discuss time to make items, etc. I have been turning "Harry Potter" wands out of mulberry and selling them for "make me an offer" (at least $20US up to $40US) and only mention it to customers if their offer is too low or too high. Just starting out and each wand takes me 30-60 minutes to turn maybe again half that to hand finish the ends with a knife & final sand. Most of the rest of what I have been doing is hand carved spoons & cups and those take a lot more hours each to hand carve yet do not sell as well nor for anywhere near as much. I got into it because I was trying to research how long it would take to hand carve things and I always wanted a lathe after seeing my uncle's and using wood & metal lathes in high school, so after I sold a few staves and spoons I bought a lathe. I am not turning bowls because I did not have the resources to buy one yet as I need some other tools like for sharpening, belt sander, and band saw, then maybe. I grow my own wood so far and have many branches 2-3+ years seasoned. I must be tired as I am rambling on, but your videos have been better to me than any of the others because you do take the time to talk and explain, such as how you adjust the rest height and why, so don't beat yourself up for doing talking videos as they are all good

A great video Tomislav! Your English is very good, I can understand you better than some of the British wood turners. I like your philosophy on making your product affordable for your country folks.🙂

Tomislav another brilliant video, I’m working my way to building a unique set of items to sell, items that I’ve not seen anywhere else and I’ve looked a lot and as you say were I live ill not get the price they are really worth but it keeps me turning and moves stock.

Great video! My market here in rural Nebraska is also a challenging market. While I sell on Etsy, the competition is daunting. Woodturning is not my primary source of income, so I am not under a lot of pressure, but pricing is a big challenge non-the-less. One saving for me is that I scrounge for all my wood, so I never buy wood. I also donate 10% of all my sales to Arbor Day Foundation as a conservation activity. This video contained a lot of common sense and truth. I appreciate you taking the time to help out your fellow woodturners around the world. We all appreciate you.

Very interesting Tomislav....I totally understand your pricing structure. You have to price for your market! 😊

As others have commented, not at all long and your English is excellent. I read a great deal and Victorian English might be my favorite; even so I have often marveled at your grasp of English. I would hate to have to learn English as a second language, especially spelling. A wonderful exploration of very efficient roughing-out session. These glimpses of a production turner's process are invaluable. Down to the clean-up every day. I have an internet woodturning acquaintance who does some serious production turning. Sometimes he'll let the green shavings dry out before he bags them up. Not as heavy, but he has more space than most of us. And, of course, it's always good to clean up daily. I am an arborist. So I rarely buy wood. Sometimes other turners will come to jobs and get wood. If they're old dudes, sometimes I'll bring it to them. Took a load of holly to a wonderful guy in his 90s, already noodled into blanks. If I ever quit climbing trees, I'll still know where to find wood for turning. Some turners will ask me to let them know if I'm removing something interesting. But when I call them, they're too busy (or lazy) to come by. Everything about this video is awesome. I'm sure that we all appreciate your generosity in time, especially the reasoning behind your pricing strategy -- one of the hardest lessons for everyone. South Carolina is a little bigger than Croatia, but as a state, one of the smaller, especially by the economics. Also, there's a generational difference to consider. Baby boomers were crazy for hand-crafted items. But they (we) are starting to dwindle. So fewer 13-14 inch salad bowls. More smaller bowls. And boxes, spoons, bottle stoppers, pens (the horror). And whatever sells seems to vary with the wind direction or the stars. Thanks again for yet another excellent video. Greg

Ever tried ripping chain saw from Stihl or Oregon? They are time savers and produce a less ondulated or rippled finish. A bit on the pricey side but worth it if you use it frequently. They have DIY version on the internet, don't know if they are efficient.

Thank you so much for this honest and down to earth video. I can very much relate to your pricing rationale as I live on a small island off the coast of Scotland (population around 600) so could never achieve the sort of prices often touted on other videos etc. I'm so pleased not to be on my own!

Another excellent production, high quality wood work and video presentation. I am going to send this to my friends as compulsory viewing for newcomers who would like to start wood turning with a view to selling their products. Acquiring the equipment and the necessary skills takes outlay in money and time, and your video’s alone, which are free, I am sure will speed up the process for the newcomer. You are a professional who makes his living this way, maintaining a high standard in you products is number one to ensure repeat sales. Thank you my friend, I enjoy and learn from every video presentation you upload. Greetings from Tasmania Australia, land of sunshine and blue skies. 👍😁🇦🇺🦘

Very well explained. Market is the key for the pricing from what I have found. I start with one formula then adjust the price for where I’m selling. Being reasonable is the key. My blessing is that I just love to do the turning and I’m not in it for the money. If it was being done for a living wage I wouldn’t be as happy. Lol. Thank you for all of your teachings. Many of us have learned a lot.

Великолепно, Томислав! Очень редко экономический вопрос озвучивается. Так полно и подробно ты его озвучил впервые. Очень интересно. С одной стороны у меня сейчас есть понимание стоимости изделий, пусть в отдельно взятой стране. Это сугубо бытовой интерес. Потому что ценообразование у нас совершенно иное. Например чаша, которую ты оценил в 80-90 евро у нас будет стоить максимум 1500 руб., это около 15 евро по текущему курсу. Вот такая разница. Время, которое ты потратил на заготовку (3 часа) вызывает уважение, потому что для меня это займёт минимум в 2 раза дольше. Так что мне ещё есть куда стремиться. Ну и, конечно, твой подход к реализации продукта, в основе которого лежит работа, работа и работа, это совершенно правильно. Это подход самый правильный. Удачи тебе. Развивайся и только вперёд.

I like your thought process on the pricing of your work. I agree with you that while your work might be worth more in a different market, you can’t price yourself out of the local market.

I agree with your pricing Tomislav. I live in a relatively poor area within a rural rich area. I want the people in my town to enjoy my art so I sell it much cheaper here. However, if I go to a market in one of the richer pockets I will charge double or more. It all depends on people’s spending power.

Teaching others is always a good thing. Thanks

Thank you! I always look forwar to see what you will share with us next. I have learned a great deal from you.

Great video Tomislav, I always find it interesting how professional turners process their timber & roughout their bowls. Look forward to seeing more

Hi Tomoslav. Thanks for a really nice and helpful vid. Just something to make a bit easyer to follow maby. Stick to one kind of system for mesurement. Hard to follow when u do metrick in that start and switch haf way through. Allways nice to have both ofc. But one on screen maby and use another one for the vid it self. Keep up the good work love following ure channel.

Brilliant video as usual, clear and very useful to any turner. By the way, your English is excellent - I don't know a single word of Croation - I'm not proud of my ignorance. Thanks again for your great videos which always inspire me to get back to my lathe 😊👍

A very very instructional video. I really like your respect for the wood and minimising the waste. Thank you

I really enjoyed this one Tomislav and it is so refreshing to hear your views on pricing. We see many RU-vidrs using formulas and bragging about the prices they charge. Some of these people are probably not totally honest. Also by using a formula you cannot take into account the type of timber. ie is it more difficult to turn, does it have a more attractive grain. So many factors to consider. But most of all, as you say, you can only charge what people are willing to or able to pay. Thankyou for this excellent video.

I just finished cutting up some elm blanks, which I've never turned before. The log was about 20 inches in diameter. I burnt the bar on my chainsaw while cutting with the grain, those shavings probably stopped the oil from getting to the sprocket at the end of the bar. Now I constantly clean out the shavings and grease the sprocket. I'm going cut a sycamore tree for blanks this weekend and they'll be around 26 inches in diameter. I enjoyed watching your video and noticed that you cut the pith out and keep it centered on the log, see so many people loose half of the log after cutting the pith out because they didn't align it to where there's equal material on both sides. I'm new to turning and have a lot to learn, but I've learned a lot from your videos thanks !

Another great and informative video! I am just a very beginning woodturner, but I feel like I am improving quicker than I have any right to do just based on your instruction.

Another great video, with a lot of good information. Your videos are never to long. Thank You.

Hopefully in your market, you get enough selling your work to allow people to enjoy them while also supporting yourself and your family. If you can do those two things, I'd say you're a success! It's tough to say what is profit in selling turned pieces; you spend some money to get the logs, the time and energy to cut, to rough them out, to finish the bowls, finish them, etc. All the costs in terms of time, effort, as well as tools and other materials all get taken from the money you get from sales. For me, I understand that turning is a hobby and will remain a hobby. The things I make are given as gifts and I hope people enjoy them.

Wow, Tomislav, this is a great, honest, informative video. Thanks. Man, you are really encouraging me to step up my game. Really appreciate it.

Thanks tomislav really enjoyed the video from start to finish.

Interesting insight. It's clear you are a production turner not a hobbyist. Very few You Tube turners work as quickly and precisely as you. You accomplish more in one smooth continuous cut than many others do in five minutes of pecking. Your thought process of maximizing the log was quite interesting even for someone like me who gives away everything I produce.

I really enjoy all your videos. Your insight of how you turn and why is very helpful to a novice turner. Thank you for your informative videos.

Could have used this video yesterday....I absolutely murdered a spalted birch log 😮😂 Thank you for the information. Absolutely love these video's.

Thanks again for the great lesson Tomislav.

Well done to you Sir. Excellent and interesting video. Not too long at all, especially when you express a lot of common sense. Your English is better than mine....and I am English Again, well done

Your pricing is almost exactly what mine needs to be here in a fairly rural area of Virginia's Eastern Shore in order to keep moving my bowls in the market.

Can you recommend one of your videos to me that addresses how your dry the bowls... time? moisture content? do you use a sealer on end grain??? You've taught me a great deal. Thanks

Thank you for this video. it is so educational, for me at least. I am headed out to the shop to duplicate what you did, hopefully. thanks again.

Gospodin Tomasic, wonderful video and I appreciate your thoughts on pricing. At almost 80 years old, I'm still learning, and Thankfully I have Instructors like you. How many languages are you proficient in, and how many do you speak?

Thanks for the video and the advice on pricing. Sounds like a logical approach to me.

Very informative.

You make it seem so easy and effortless. Keep up the great work.

I really enjoyed this video. I agree with your thoughts on pricing and being more efficient in turning.

Thanks for a really interesting video plus your take on pricing. Please don’t put yourself down regarding speaking English as you describe things and use expressions better than most native speakers.

Great video Tomislav, thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge and skills.

🕶great video Tomislav. Your English is very good. Thanks

Excellent information. Thank you for co firming much of what I believe about this topic. BTW, you express yourself very well in English. Well done my friend.

That is some interesting timber. It looks like it would be nice to embellish. I am familiar with paper/white birch. What type of birch is that? Have you seen or used masur birch it's quite lovely but downside is the price on it. I enjoyed the content & topic.

Great stuff! Your birch bark is considerably different from Birch Bark in Canada. Inside the wood is very similar.